


Doing it Simple

by noblydonedonnanoble



Category: Learners (2007), Mrs Ratcliffe's Revolution (2007)
Genre: F/M, I wrote this in a coffee shop does that count as a coffeeshop AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-02-13
Updated: 2014-02-13
Packaged: 2018-01-12 04:35:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1181982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/noblydonedonnanoble/pseuds/noblydonedonnanoble





	Doing it Simple

                Their first Valentine’s Day comes only five months into their relationship. As such, the two of them spend a fair amount of time fretting over the details of their plans as the date draws nearer. Neither Chris nor Doe can glean much information about the other’s wishes for the day, or about past wonderful (and not-so-wonderful) Valentine’s Day experiences to which this ever-so-important impending day would be compared.

                Of course, they try various tactics to pick up even the smallest of hints. But when Doe catches Chris trying to pry out of Alex and Mary what sort of gift their mother might like, she finally puts her foot down and declares that they’ll do it simple.

                “No need for a big fuss to be made,” she assures him.

                The problem with this lies in Chris’s inability to _not_ make a big fuss, particularly where Dorothy is concerned. And Chris is, in point of fact, a weakness of similar proportions for Doe.

                Chris does try, though. He suggests that they simply make an evening of it at his place, dinner followed by whatever activities just so happen to follow dinner. So she finds a sitter for Mary and arrives at Chris’s at precisely half past six, as per his request.

                When Chris opens the door, the sight of Doe takes his breath away. Her hair is done up in what seems to be an elaborate up-do, with a few strands hanging loose to frame her face.

                “May I come in?” she asks lightly, a small smile crossing her lips at Chris’s awed expression.

                “Yes, please do.” He stammers through his words but steps back and gives her enough room to cross over the threshold. “I’ll, um, take your coat,” he offers.

                She removes it, allowing it to fall into Chris’s arms. He looks her up and down, wide-eyed, taking in a black dress that hugs her curves and makes him wonder if she would consider the possibility of skipping dinner and proceeding straight to the dessert.

                But he makes no such suggestion. Instead he breathes, “You look stunning.”

                “Thank you.” Doe accepts the praise with a wider smile and a hint of an embarrassed giggle. “You don’t look half-bad yourself.”

                Chris glances down at his own trousers and dress shirt. He was worried that Doe might complain that he was making _too much of a fuss_ , but now he feels embarrassingly underdressed. He’s not even wearing a tie, for heaven’s sake. What if she expected him to be wearing a tie? “Thanks.” He straightens his glasses, braves one more brisk examination of Doe, and then gestures toward the dining room. “After you.”

                At the sight of room, Doe lets out a soft hum of appreciation—the overhead light has been relatively dimmed; most of the light throughout the room emanates from candles. The table is set for two. Almost immediately, Chris rushes over to one of the chairs and pulls it out for her. “Such a gentleman,” she says fondly as she settles in.

                “Always.” He bends down and presses a soft kiss to her cheek. “You wait right here, I’ll go fetch the food.”

                Doe is left to her own devices for a minute or so. She spends that minute thinking of the small gift that she has tucked into one of the pockets of her coat, wondering whether Chris will be bothered that she broke her own promise to not make a fuss. But she just couldn’t help herself; as soon as she saw it in the shop, she imagined the delighted grin that would appear on his face upon receiving it, and she couldn’t deny herself the pleasure of seeing that first-hand.

                For his part, Chris is praying that she won’t be cross with him when he presents her with the lovely gift that _he_ picked out.

                When he returns from the kitchen, he holds in his hands two plates of steaming hot pesto pasta. “I know I’ve made this for you before…” he begins, relatively embarrassed by his inability to prepare something more elaborate for the occasion.

                “And I thought it was fantastic. I don’t mind.”

                He waits while Doe takes the first bite, and can’t suppress the pleased smile that lights up his face when she makes a satisfied noise and exclaims, “This is delicious, darling.”

                “I’m so glad that you like it.”

                Much of the meal consists of idle chitchat. It’s been a few days since they saw each other last, because Mary had fallen ill, and Doe insisted on taking the utmost care of her while she was unwell. Chris finds it charming and appreciates her motherly concern, but he can’t help feeling rather frustrated, as well—particularly because she almost cancelled their plans for this evening, when it was unclear whether Mary would be enough recovered.

                But he listens eagerly as Doe recounts the more exciting details of her past few days, getting just a touch jealous—but not overzealous—when she mentions the charming bloke who offered her a ride home when he saw her walking with her groceries.

                “I declined, of course,” she added, and she noted that once again, Chris looked fairly pleased to hear it.

                Gradually, they slow down, spending more time conversing than eating, until finally they stop eating altogether, feeling perfectly satiated. Upon noting that the plates have gone untouched for over ten minutes, Chris clears his throat and stands. “I’ll go take care of these. Um, feel free to make yourself comfortable out there.” He gestures vaguely toward the living room. “And I’ll bring out some wine, maybe?”

                “Oh, yes please,” she says eagerly.

                While he’s busy in the kitchen, Doe goes into the other room and tries her best to get comfortable on the sofa. But her mind is still on her gift for Chris, tucked away in her pocket, and she decides that now is as good a time as any to present it to him. Oh, he’ll tease her for being unable to stick to her own resolution. She can already hear it.

                But she can’t resist. She fetches the gift from her coat, and by the time Chris appears in the doorway, two wine classes in hand, she’s seated again with the wrapped gift in her lap.

                “What’s this, then?” he asks, as he takes his seat beside her and passes over one of the glasses.

                Doe blushes. “I know I said that I didn’t want to make an ordeal out of Valentine’s Day, but I was out shopping and I saw this and just thought of you.”

                Almost immediately, she expects the heckling to start, but Dorothy is pleasantly surprised. “You have no idea how much of a relief that is.”

                “Oh?”

                Chris nods excitedly, rising from the sofa and setting his glass down. “I found something for you too. It’s in my room, let me get it.”

                When he returns, she can tell almost immediately that it must be a piece of jewelry. The box is fairly long and wide, but also rather flat. A necklace maybe, she muses. Chris has never dared buy her any jewelry before, and she wonders whether he’s seen her wearing enough to get a sense of her taste. But despite any misgivings that she may have, she accepts the box from him gratefully.

                “I bought you some chocolates too, but I figured that since we’ve just eaten, I’d give those to you a bit later.”

                “How very practical.” She chuckles lightly.

                Chris immediately turns a bit pink. “Of course, if you’d rather like them now, I could go—” He goes as far as attempting to stand.

                Doe grabs his hand and pulls him back down. “Just stay with me, dear. We’ll open our gifts, drink some wine, and then we can go split the chocolates in a little while.”

                “No, I can’t possibly eat your chocolates,” he protests.

                She lets out a nice, full laugh. “You can, and you will. I’d like to share. But we’ll argue over that later. Open your gift, go on.”

                “You first.”

                When she opens the box, Doe’s expression seems to remain completely neutral, and Chris becomes increasingly anxious by the second. “If you don’t like it, we can always take it back and you can pick out something you’d prefer. I just… I thought it might suit you,” he finishes weakly.

                “Oh, Chris, don’t be daft. It’s beautiful.”

                “Do you really think so?”

                She eases the necklace out of the box to examine more closely. It consists of a relatively modest gold chain, and a flat gold circle, speckled with rubies that diminish in size from bottom to top. Doe couldn’t have selected something more pleasing for herself if she had tried. “Yes. I love it. Will you help me put it on?”

                Chris fumbles with the clasp, but finally he’s fastened it into place and Doe turns back to face him. “How does it look?” she asks, glancing down at it curiously.

                “Gorgeous. You’re gorgeous.”

                Doe blushes deeply. “Oh, get off it.”

                “Certainly not. You’re stunning and I won’t refrain from saying so.” His eyes sparkle as he looks her up and down. “And now I’ll open my gift, yeah?”

                She nods in agreement, but looks down at the wrapped gift, suddenly concerned that he’ll find it a disappointment. “I wasn’t expecting a gift from you, and what I have… it’s… really no match for this,” she says carefully, fingering the necklace. “But I… I hope you like it anyway.”

                Chris, too, doesn’t know what to expect, because the gift feels soft and light in his hands. But when he peels back the paper, he lets out a delighted laugh and pulls it out. “Doe, where did you find this?”

                “It was just in some small shop I’d never been in before, but I saw that and I thought that what with your promotion…”

                “That I should be getting more ties. You’re completely right. And this one’s so fitting, too, what with the traffic signs.”

                She chuckles. “Yes, dear, that was my general line of thought. But…” Her eyes fall down to the tie, clutched in his hands. “I’m sorry I don’t have anything more.”

                “Anything more?” Chris frowns and reaches for her hands, holding them tightly in her lap. “What more could I ask for when I’ve got you right here?”

                “I can’t believe you just said that.”

                Chris grins and leans in to kiss her softly. 


End file.
